Comb.



No. 748,420. PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903. M. H. RICHARDSON & G. P. WRIGHT.

- COMB. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16. 1903 N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

MYRON I'I. RICHARDSON AND GEORGE E. WRIGHT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMB.

SPEGI IGATION' formingpart of Letters Patent No. 748,420, dated December29, 1903. Application filed January 16,1903- Serial No. 139,271. (Nomodel.)

'T0 at whom it may concern:

, a specification.

This invention relates to safety hair-combs.

The object of the invention is to provide a safety hair-comb which issimple and efficient in construction and when in use exerts a clampingaction upon the hair, so as to be prevented from becoming accidentallydisengaged or detached.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

, The invention consists, substantially, in the construction,combination, location, and arrangement of parts, all as will be morefully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawings, andfinally pointed out in the appended claims. 7

, Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is an elevation of a combembodying the principles of our invention. Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing a modified form of comb embodying the principles of ourinvention.

It is among the special purposes of our invention to provide a form andconstruction of hair-combsuch, for instance, as is employed byladieswherein the action of inserting the teeth of the comb into thehair and the introduction of the hair between the teeth of the combcauses said teeth to be sprung or clamped together toward each other, soas to exert a clamping or gripping action upon the hair, therebyefliciently retaining the comb in place and preventing the same frombecoming accidentally dislodged or detached and securely retaining thesame in its proper place.

In carrying out our invention we provide a comb havinga body part(indicated by a reference-sign A) which may be of any suitable material,construction, and shape or of anysuitable ornamentation, style, ordesign and provided with teeth (designated by referencesign B) at thesides or edges thereof, such teeth beingstraightcomb-teeth.Intermediatethe side or edge teeth B the body portion A is provided witha series of teeth, (indicated by referencesigns O D,) preferablyarrangedin pairs, as shown. The members of each pair of teeth O D, at aconvenient point intermediate the length thereof, are provided withoppositely presented bends or projections E. These bends or projectionsbeing presented toward each other afford a limited space between themembers of the cooperating pairs of comb-teeth, so that when the comb isinserted into the hair such hair entering this limited space between theoppositely-presenting bends or projections will serve to force or spreadapart the teeth. Adjacent to their free ends each tooth of the comb isprovided with a portion of considerable length (indicated byreferencesign F) lying parallel to each other-that is to say, thestraight portion F of a tooth O of a pair of teeth '0 D is arranged toextend in close proximity to and parallel with the straight surface orportion F of tooth D of the next adjacent pair of teeth. Thus it will beseen that when the comb is inserted into the hair and the hair enteringthe limited space between the'bends or projections E, thereby forcing orspreading apart the cooperating members of the pairs of teeth, thestraight parallel surface F of the teeth thus spread apart or separatedwill be brought toward and against the straightor parallel portion F ofthe proximate tooth of the next adjacent pair of teeth, thereby causingthe straight parallel portion F thereof to exert a clamping or grippingaction upon the hair to clamp the same therebetween. If desired, we mayprovide auxiliary short teeth (indicated by reference-sign G) arrangedto project or ext-end from the body portion A into the space between themembers of each pair of teeth 0 D, as clearly shown, the free end orpoint of the auxiliary teeth G terminating in suitable proximity to thelimited space formed by the bends or projections E, as clearly shown inthe drawings. The provision of these auxiliary short teeth causes thehair which has been passed through the limited space between'the bondsor projections E to be spread apart and to be crowded against the sidesor edges of the long teeth of the comb in the space between said longteeth adjacent to the body of the comb or between the bends orprojections and the bodyof the comb, thereby aiding in securing theclamping effect of the teeth with respect to each other at their outeror free ends. These short auxiliary teeth also aid in retaining the combin the hair and preventing the same from becoming accidentally dislodgedor detached. It is obvious that these auxiliary teeth may, if founddesirable, be dispensed with, as shown in Fig. 2. It is also obviousthat, if desired, the outer straight teeth B may also be dispensed with,as shown in Fig. 2.

As above stated, the material out of which the comb and its teeth ismade is unimportant and non-essential so far as the principles of ourinvention are concerned, any suitable or ordinary material accomplishingthe desired object.

Having now set forth the object and nature of our invention, what weclaim as new and useful and of our joint invention, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A safety-comb, comprising a back portion and a series of resilientteeth projecting therefrom, and arranged to be movable together incooperating pairs at the free end portion thereof, cam projections upona portion of the teeth and arranged to throw the adjacent cooperatingpairs of teeth toward one another at their free ends, whereby the hairis positively clamped at the said free ends, as and for the purpose setforth.

2. A safety hair-comb havinga plurality of pairs of resilientteeth,projections upon a plurality of said teeth constricting one of thespaces adjacent thereto and leaving a space adjacent to each constrictedspace, unconstricted, each tooth having outwardly-presented straightparallel portions adjacent the free ends thereof, formingclamping-surfaces, the straight clamping-surface of each member of eachpair of teeth cooperating with the straight parallel clamping-surface ofthe proximate member of the next adjacent pair of teeth, to grip orclamp the hair therebetween when the members of each pair of teeth arespread apart or separated by the insertion of the comb in the hair andthe crowding of the hair into the constricted spaces, as and for thepurpose set forth.

3. v A safety hair-comb having a plurality of pairs of teeth, themembers of each pair of teeth having bends intermediate their ends, saidbends extending inwardly toward each other and having outwardlypresented straight parallel portions adjacent the free ends thereof,forming clamping-surfaces, the straight clamping-surface of each memberof each pair of teeth cooperating with the straight parallelclamping-surface of the proximate member of the next adjacent pair ofteeth to grip or clamp the hair therebetween when the members of eachpair of teeth are spread apart or separated by the insertion of the combin the hair and the crowding of the hair between the inwardly-projectingbends in said teeth, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A safety hair-comb provided with teeth having means for automaticallyclamping the free ends thereof to the hair when inserted in the hair, incombination with auxiliaryshort teeth arranged between saidautomaticallyclamping teeth, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. Asafetyhair-comb having teeth arranged in pairs, the members of eachpair of teeth having oppositely-presented bends or projectionsintermediate their ends and having cooperating clamping-surfaces at thefree ends thereof and auxiliary short teeth arranged between suchmembers adjacent to the body of the comb, as and for the purpose setforth.

6. A safety hair-comb having a plurality of teeth arranged incooperating pairs, means operated by the hair of the user when the combis inserted in the hair for spreading apart the free ends of the membersof each pair of teeth by the insertion of the comb in the hair, eachtooth of each pair of teeth cooperating with the proximate member of thenext adjacent pair of teeth to exert a clamping action upon the hair atthe free ends thereof, as, and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands, this 14th day ofJanuary, 1903, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

MYRON H. RICHARDSON. GEORGE F. WRIGHT. Witnesses:

OHAs. H. SEEM, S. E. DARBY.

